Vehicle clutch pedals have been used in manual transmission vehicles for many years. Clutch pedals are currently of the mechanical type and include a mechanical clutch engagement and disengagement linkage. Specifically, clutch pedals actuate a mechanical system that operates the vehicle's clutch and provides the driver with a force feedback that correlates with the disengagement and engagement of the clutch, allowing the driver to control the clutch by feeling the force through the pedal.
A transition is ongoing to fully electronic clutch pedal solutions in an effort to improve vehicle efficiency and driver comfort. However, simply removing the mechanical output clutch system and adding electronic feedback results in a pedal that does not feel like a clutch and is undesirable because it does not allow the driver to find and feel the clutch engagement and disengagement points.
The present invention is directed to a mechanical linkage free variable force electronic vehicle clutch pedal that includes structure and features adapted to simulate the feel and force of clutch pedals with a mechanical clutch engagement and disengagement linkage.